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police commissioner elections

Do you think it is a good idea to have a commissioner of police instead of the old police authority. If the correct person is voted in, will they have the teeth and inclination to force chief constables to there way of thinking.

Your responses, unfortunately, have confirmed my original views. You have all voted on the premise that the PCC is going to make a difference to policing your problems. It would be nice if that was the case but only time will tell who was right.

I didn't vote because I'm still not sure just what these commissioner chappies are for. Despite being aware of the elections, and seeing some of the TV debate, what difference will it make to real policing on the street?.

The commissioner elections strike me as being as irrelevant to Joe public as the annual building society AGM vote that we mostly ignore on account of not really knowing anymore of the running a building society than what the best interest rate is for ourselves, and the reports of the turnout figures suggest that's what the vast majority think too.

Pine Man "You have all voted on the premise that the PCC is going to make a difference to policing your problems."

I haven't voted on that premise. In any case how can you assume to know what premise I voted on. I don't think that the PCC will make any major difference. However it is probably better than the members who get to be on the Police Authority without any apparent public say.

I happen to think that those who voted in a low turn out may have had a greater chance to influence who is elected. It would appear that the vast majority, couldn't be bothered to find out about it and if they did couldn't be bothered to vote. They have disenfranchised themselves and only have themselves to blame if they now get a Commissioner that they do not like.

'I happen to think that those who voted in a low turn out may have had a greater chance to influence who is elected'

...and go on to say

'I don't think that the PCC will make any major difference'.

So you effectively voted for someone to do a job that probably won't make any major difference apart from costing £75 million to establish who they are going to be and then pay them upto £100k per annum plus administrative costs.

You chose to vote and I didn't. Once the votes are counted I suspect that in excess of 80% of the electorate made the same choice as me for that reason or another.

Its now a waiting game to see if the 'best person' for the job as won the hearts of those that have voted.

But as I have mentioned in another thread, the role of PCC might not be very much different, because whilst its being stated that the PCC will be answerable to the public. A 'new' Police and Crime Panel will have the ultimate say on how things run. And what is this 'new' Police and Crime Panel, and in my opinion, no much different to the previous panel, which consisted of selected and possibly unelected by public vote local representatives of authority?.

I voted yesterday, but whether my vote will make the slightest difference, we will have to wait and see. In my location we had the option to vote for a new Mayor, and very few turned-out to do that. After twelve months into the job, there is now a petition being formed regarding the public having a referendum on this Mayor position and role and its true worth and value?.

According to Madam Cooper, the cost is £100 million! And I understand that John Prescott has to go another round of votes because neither he nor the Conservative candidate achieved 50% of the first preference vote!!!!

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